Create a database of videos, each between 1 and 2 minutes long that give visitors important and engaging information about specific items at the Walters.

Each video would be activated by scanning a QR code located next to the item in the museum. That QR code would link to the video that would be streamed to you smart phone or other Wi-Fi enabled hand held device.

These videos would consist of a Docent talking about an item; with cut scenes to the item itself as well as close ups of the important features or details of each item.

This project could be rolled out collection by collection, so that as you walk into a particular studio you would be notified by a sign that the collection that you are about to see has an accompanying self guided video tour. Included in that sign could be a simple link to download a custom Walters Art Museum QR code reader as well.

It would be like going on a guided tour with your very own Docent….in your pocket.

A Postscript on monetization: the videos themselves could be hosted via YouTube and monetized providing a revenue stream for the program. The video could be set up so that if you were watching them at the Museum via QR there would be no add but if you were watching them via laptop or other device fro the Walters Art Museum YouTube channel you would see advertising. Integrating the videos into a publicly available video service like YouTube would also provide free advertising and Branding for the Walters Art Museum.

George L Peters Jr @mobtowngeorge

Create a database of videos, each between 1 and 2 minutes long that give visitors important and engaging information about specific items at the Walters.

Each video would be activated by scanning a QR code located next to the item in the museum. That QR code would link to the video that would be streamed to you smart phone or other Wi-Fi enabled hand held device.

These videos would consist of a Docent talking about an item; with cut scenes to the item itself as well as close ups of the important features or details of each item.

Databases are the foundation for fabulous apps, websites and e-publications that have the potential to help raise funds for conserving our city's public art --- and they're super rad when filled with art!
Anyone can help with collecting information for the database but technical input and groundwork toward a sustainable database for the future would also be of great value.
Image from the Documenting Baltimore's Outdoor Public Artworks could be incorporated.

The Digital Walters is home to nearly 400 complete digital surrogates of manuscripts from The Walters' renowned collection
(with more on the way!). Thanks to three grants from the NEH high-resolution archival images along with full cataloging
information in machine-readable TEI P5 are available for free under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
license for anyone who wants to use them. So let's use this amazingly structured data! It would be great if there was an
awesome tool (anything from a basic website to a mobile app) through which one could play with and explore The Walters'
manuscripts. Being able to search keywords, create one's own collections of images or manuscripts, and browse images with
ease all in one place could bring new insight to these illuminated manuscripts!

The Digital Walters is home to nearly 400 complete digital surrogates of manuscripts from The Walters' renowned collection
(with more on the way!). Thanks to three grants from the NEH high-resolution archival images along with full cataloging
information in machine-readable TEI P5 are available for free under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
license for anyone who wants to use them. So let's use this amazingly structured data! It would be great if there was an
awesome tool (anything from a basic website to a mobile app) through which one could play with and explore The Walters'
manuscripts. Being able…

As educators in our galleries, we are able to enhance learning about objects through sound, video, interpretive materials, art making and collaborative activities. Even though our programs are free, many people are not able to attend due to issues like transportation or scheduling difficulties. Family & Community Programs at The Walters would like to use digital tools to create an interactive digital experience using the wealth of educational resources that we have already created. Not only do we want to bring in new families to the museum, but we want to serve the community that we are not able to reach.

As educators in our galleries, we are able to enhance learning about objects through sound, video, interpretive materials, art making and collaborative activities. Even though our programs are free, many people are not able to attend due to issues like transportation or scheduling difficulties. Family & Community Programs at The Walters would like to use digital tools to create an interactive digital experience using the wealth of educational resources that we have already created. Not only do we want to bring in new families to the museum, but we want to serve the community that we are not able to…

As a simple experiment in using BLE technology in a museum environment, I'd like to see how effective it can be with audio tours triggered by location or proximity to BLE beacons. Other audio concepts welcome like a soundtrack that changes depending on the room you are in. We are working on getting some beacons to play with but if you have some you'd like to use, the more the merrier!

There'll be a few Tinkerine Studio 3d printers available, so lets make stuff! I can show others how to take 3d scans, and how to use 3d software. We'll be able to capture sculptures, remix them, and share them online.

Participating museums would need to create an open, web-accessible API of jsonp data that has a very basic structure for this exercise: Title, Period, Accession #, Institution, and a web-accessible thumbnail jpeg url.

Countless hours have been spent in meetings, setting up standards, etc., but I think a few good haXors could do this in a weekend. Would need at least two APIs and someone who can make a web UI with jQuery (Sencha, etc). With enough votes, I can make 1000+ objects available as Open Data in whatever format The Walters is using now. The real challenge is combining the json but that is probably not that big a deal.

Participating museums would need to create an open, web-accessible API of jsonp data that has a very basic structure for this exercise: Title, Period, Accession #, Institution, and a web-accessible thumbnail jpeg url.

Countless hours have been spent in meetings, setting up standards, etc., but I think a few good haXors could do this in a weekend. Would need at least two APIs and someone who can make a web UI with jQuery (Sencha, etc). With enough votes, I can make 1000+ objects…

Politicians have openly said that they don't look at petitions, they don't care about them. Part of the reason petitions have no effect is because they are delivered in bulk, by one person once. I believe that online political activism should be effective and that signing an online petition should generate and email delivered instantly to politicians of interest. I propose the development of software that would allow political activists to generate an email to politicians of interest, every time a signature is collected (QR code + touch compatible web service). This would provide constituents a convenient way to exert political pressure and keep their representatives accountable!

Politicians have openly said that they don't look at petitions, they don't care about them. Part of the reason petitions have no effect is because they are delivered in bulk, by one person once. I believe that online political activism should be effective and that signing an online petition should generate and email delivered instantly to politicians of interest. I propose the development of software that would allow political activists to generate an email to politicians of interest, every time a signature is collected (QR code + touch compatible web service). This would provide constituents a convenient way to exert…

Participants would be given a specific theme, generated from a word bank at random.They would have to curate a digital exhibition based on the theme using 10-20 works from the Walters Collection and digital data base of images. Exhibitions would be uploaded to Tumblr with a short statement explaining their curatorial theme - these would be made available to share with other museum goers via the Walters website and would energize and reinterpret works from the Walters, as well as draw attention to a range of different works.

For years, the Walters ran a short radio spot called "Postcards from the Walters." It was made into a podcast, but that podcast has fallen into disrepair. The museum and its visitors would probably benefit from a repaired and enhanced podcast!

Because of the size of many paintings, x-rays have to be taken in separate “plates” and then digitally stitched back together. This is useful for seeing the way an artwork is imaged for conservation preservation. Finding a less time-consuming way to digitally combine plates is a big challenge for conservators.

Participants use gps or compass to treasure-hunt art & architecture throughout the city. At each designated "find," they log some key that eventually forms a solution to a puzzle. State parks draw visitors from afar this way.

Create an app to display works of arts by unknown artists. The artists would get name recognition in addition to proceeds from the sale. The charitable nonprofit would receive a percentage from the sale.

The Chamber of Wonders with its rich mixture of art and natural history specimens and also the two related galleries—the collector’s study and the hall of arms and armor--recreate some of the ways that a princely family in 17th century Europe might have displayed their collections. Although this is the space most favored by visitors and is also an installation that is incorporated into a range of university courses far beyond Baltimore, it has no web presence. Many who like to visit it cannot. So the proposal is to create a virtual visit on the web to these rooms that would allow visitors from kids to scholars to savor the experience of the rooms, “go over and look at something closely,” and then access whatever level of information or commentary they wish.

The Chamber of Wonders with its rich mixture of art and natural history specimens and also the two related galleries—the collector’s study and the hall of arms and armor--recreate some of the ways that a princely family in 17th century Europe might have displayed their collections. Although this is the space most favored by visitors and is also an installation that is incorporated into a range of university courses far beyond Baltimore, it has no web presence. Many who like to visit it cannot. So the proposal is to create a virtual visit on the web to these rooms that…

The biggest barrier to symphony attendance is that people feel like "they don't know enough about what they are hearing".Orchestras hand out little booklets called programs that do little to bring people in to the loop. We need the audience member to be able to drive their own education electronically when they are at the concert.Let's bring orchestras in to the 21st Century!

Based on individual preferences, behavior, or search terms, develop a tool to recommend works of art to users in a personalized manner. Similar to Pandora or iTunes Genius, engage users where they are, beginning with what interests them; then make recommendations that allow them to explore the collection in a more meaningful manner.

The Walters publishes multiple titles each year and is interested in electronic publishing, however we've not found a cross-platform format that can accurately handle illustrated non-fiction work well. We would like to find/create is a streamline digitizing method that can be applied to multiple past and future titles, so they can be accessed from any device of the readers choosing. And the cherry on top would be if the electronic form can expand upon the print edition in the obvious ways print is limited.

This project doesn't require advanced technological skills, just a camera, the internet and Baltimore itself are all you need. By collecting and sharing photographs and information about Baltimore's public artworks, we hope to make our great Baltimore sculptures and monuments more visible and accessible to people across the world. Anyone can participate!

Today, ancient objects can appear faded, corroded, and dull, which can make it hard to imagine what they could have looked like when they were first made. A current conservation science project attempts to understand and re-create the original appearance of a 2,500-year old statuette, with all its rich coloration and metallic inlay intact.

Using a technique called x-ray fluorescence, we have measured the metal alloy and inlay composition of an ancient bronze object from the Walters Art Museum's permanent collections. With this data, it is possible to extract the original color appearance of the statuette.

Using your expertise, we are searching for a solution that would allow us to best represent the object, with full color information and with damaged areas reconstructed. Provided with panoramic photography of the object, one route might be to develop a way to construct a 3-D model of the object that could then be easily manipulated in a CAD program.

Today, ancient objects can appear faded, corroded, and dull, which can make it hard to imagine what they could have looked like when they were first made. A current conservation science project attempts to understand and re-create the original appearance of a 2,500-year old statuette, with all its rich coloration and metallic inlay intact.

Using a technique called x-ray fluorescence, we have measured the metal alloy and inlay composition of an ancient bronze object from the Walters Art Museum's permanent collections. With this data, it is possible to extract the original color appearance of the statuette.